The Greatest Sneaker Moments of the '80s

The decade of the '80s was one of the most significant in sneakers. Up until then, changes had been relatively incremental, aside from technological leaps like adidas's introduction of the leather Pro Model and Stan Smith in 1965, and Nike's Waffle sole in the early '70s, then Air in the late '70s. But the '80s came in like a whirlwind and swept much of that away. Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan line exploded onto the scene in 1985 and changed everything from the look of sneakers to the way they were marketed to the very way they were perceived. And when adidas signed up Run-DMC the following year, it marked a further transition away from the traditional "athletic shoe" model. By the end of the decade, sneaker companies weren't only looking to the future, they were actually designing for it. And Michael Jordan, well, he was bigger than ever. Check out The Greatest Sneaker Moments of the '80s and list your own favorites below.